Liz Cass – 'Shaken'
‘Shaken’, the latest single from Liz Cass’s upcoming album, The Words, is an impressive synth-pop track with a cinematic edge.
There’s a quiet power to Liz Cass’s singing. It’s evocative – drawing you in to the song’s world, her voice leading you around the song’s set, painted by its melodies. She has mastered a powerful whisper-style delivery that isn’t a million miles off Billie Eilish’s trademark vocal.
The melody of ‘Shaken’ is simple – built on a repeating riff that runs throughout, synths stack chords and sustained notes on top, and a drumbeat lends the music an urgency that permeates the whole track. Foreboding tones rise up from the depths of the song’s foundations to underscore its bassline – it’s intricately put together, engrossing the listener from the start.
The lyrics are ambiguous. The song is, apparently, about finding comfort and strength when trying to overcome turbulent times, and that is evident enough. Cass has done more work around providing the atmosphere of those feelings rather than describing them through her lyrics. It’s affective. The melody captures feelings of urgency, of wanting to get away from something and more towards something better, almost instilling them into you as you listen. This gives the track its cinematic glory – just listening to it without even really understanding it puts you on the edge of your seat.
Despite the general sense of unease, Cass comes across as empowered and unintimidated: ‘fire swimming through my blood,’ she sings in the opening verse, ‘tune me in and turn me on.’ It’s a nice juxtaposition to the hurdles presented in the chorus: ‘shaken / by all the things we’ve seen / breaking / need a minute here to breathe.’ We get a picture of someone brave enough to face whatever it is that’s chasing her, but smart enough to know it won’t be easy.
There’s no doubt about it, ‘Shaken’ is a captivating listen. It’s an excellently put together pop track with a lot of weight behind it, making Cass’s upcoming album an even more intriguing prospect.
Words by Izzy Rowley
